My Favorite Movie: Thoughts on strong female characters

This post is coming from a lot of places:

From watching Amanda Palmer sing on YouTube about one of her influences that she had previously overlooked when being interviewed. (NSFW due to some language)

From reading and listening to discussions about Joss Whedon and his strong female characters.

From reading an article that, among other things, claims that readers get more invested in characters than movie goers.

And from other articles that worry about our expectations and our attitudes toward young girls.

From the inability of the vast majority of people online to be able to use critical thinking when it comes to sensationalism.

From a friend on Facebook wanting to know what book to read this winter.

And from loving friends who gave me the gift of a new life motto thru a tee-shirt.


It would be difficult to say which book (or movie, or what-have-you) has influenced me the most.  Few things are truly earth-shattering in a good way. (I can tell you much more easily the books or movies that traumatized me most.) But when I think specifically on what moment shaped the person I have become in the most positive way, I suddenly have an answer. It was fourth grade, I was at my desk, and instead of listening to the lesson (let's pretend it was math), I was reading a book under my desk. For the record, the book was on the optional reading list, so it was something I was supposed to have with me (sort of). Just not at that moment (sorry, Mrs. Weathers). The problem I was having was that for the first time in my life I was reading a book that I couldn't put down.  I remember in early elementary school being more concerned with my conduct grades than actual subjects. I think my love-of-reading epiphany was a major factor in how my attitude toward learning evolved.  Math suffered, to be sure, due to the novels hiding in every text book every time I should have been doing homework.

As a person with two degrees in pretend, I can attest to how narrative can create empathy in audiences. As a consumer of media, I can admit to crying, laughing, or cheering when watching or reading something that particularly resonates with me.  As a creator, I know that if something does not resonate it will not last.  As a kid who was, quite frankly, unable to cope with her peers on a social level, I can attest to the power of what we sometimes derisively call escapism.

Amanda Palmer wrote her song about author Judy Blume. Strong female characters have been an endless discussion in the world of film (especially SciFi).  And most people I know will bemoan that child-centered programming is not what it once was, female characters or not.  Amanda reminds me that those characters we wish for on-screen are out there already.

I am interested in the idea that books are more effective forms of immersion that movies. The human imagination is more powerful than IMAX 3D.  Time constraints are not an issue. And, fortunately for us all, the people writing books are not the studio execs who care most about the bottom line. I am always dismayed when an analysis of a movie picks apart certain details or themes that were addressed differently in the book.  Because to me, the movie is a visual aid and the book is the substance.  In books, characters are free to be ugly or flawed or weak or human in ways that we deny on-screen characters.

The book that changed me forever in fourth grade was A Wrinkle in Time.  Meg was ugly, unpopular, stymied in school, and at the end of the book, none of those things really changed. What changed was that she learned reliance on herself and others, acknowledged her good qualities and accepted her poor ones.  Let's just say the made-for-TV movie misses the mark.

If I wanted to give a child a tool that would help provide emotional support, improve her grades, encourage creative thinking, and give her an opportunity to practice decision making and responsibility, I would give her a library card.

I believe that if you find the right preparation, anyone can like any vegetable.  I believe there are quality books out there for all tastes and levels.  Don't tell me you don't like to read when you were camped in front of a bookstore waiting for the release of the next Harry Potter.

Hollywood has a problem with an accurate portrayal of what it means (and should mean) to be female.  I firmly believe the answer to this is books.

For my birthday this year, my friends bought me a shirt which says:

My favorite movie is books. 

Douglas Adams' Spinoffs and Spoilers

If you haven't read Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency, be warned this post will contain spoilers.

Dirk Gentley is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors. Recently, after coming across websites that provide suggestions on 'what to read next after finishing a book', I had considered doing something similar for 'what to read after watching this show/movie.'  Like Downton Abbey? Try reading Wodehouse. Like Dr. Who, read The Hitchhiker's Guide. I never thought to recommend Dirk Gentley, because Hitchhiker's Guide has more mass appeal. Which is ironic because…

Recently I was browsing a bookstore and stumbled on a new Douglas Adams book.  Doctor Who: Shada, The Lost Adventure by Douglas Adams, by Gareth Roberts (another Dr. Who writer).  Most Whovians (I am not one except casually) know that Douglas Adams wrote for the original series.  Of the 3 episodes, one did not air due to a writers' strike. It was later released on video with Tom Baker narrating to fill in the gaps of what didn't get filmed.

I am vaguely aware of other Dr. Who novels, particularly between the old and new series, that are not considered cannon.  Then there is that new collection of short stories.  This is different. This is a Tom Baker adventure, written by the man who conceived the babelfish as an actual episode meant to air, and revised, finished, and polished by another Dr. Who writer. Besides, how long has it been since the world had seen something new published that was written by Douglas Adams. These facts alone were exciting enough.  But there was an additional surprise…

Douglas Adams, like many writers, recycles ideas in his various works. The true-life story of the biscuits made its way into HH2G.  He also had plans to revise the third Dirk Gentley book, The Salmon of Doubt, into a sixth Hitchhiker's book.  So it should come as no surprise that he had a hard time letting Shada go.

The Dirk Gentley books, as a series, are disjointed. The third is unfinished, the second is mythic (and doesn't seem to fit with anything else he wrote, IMHO), and the first has strange plot holes.

In the first book, understanding the plot requires a decent knowledge of Coleridge. (If Malcolm Reynolds can read a poem, you can too.)  But the backstory and mechanics of how you get to the point of needing English Lit to understand the resolution was shrouded in mystery.

SPOILERS: There's this Cambridge professor and his flat is a time machine. He doesn't know how old he is, or how he ended up living in a time machine, or even how the machine works, exactly. He admits once that he "retired" to Cambridge, but that is about all he can remember.

So, sure there's a time machine with an impossibly old dude living in it, but that does't mean he's a Time Lord. There are, after all, lots of time travel stories, including Hitchhiker's Guide (i.e. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe).  But Dirk Gentley isn't just another time travel story.

The professor's name is Chronotis.  And he is a major character, and Time Lord, in Shada.

One of my favorite books is a Dr. Who spinoff and I didn't know. 

Shada is great. Gareth Roberts captures Adams' voice in the way you wish Eoin Colfer had. The book is a cultural window to 1970s SciFi, without the bad special effects.

I'm only left with one question.

Is the Professor still in Cambridge?

Dating Rules for SciFi Characters

Do you deal with aliens, ghosts, werewolves, demons, vampires, or super-villains  on a weekly basis? Do you have trouble finding the right girl/guy to eventually settle down with? The dating world can be rough in the paranormal, pan-demensional world you find yourself in. Here are some tips to help you find the right person.

Does the person you are interested in:
- Live on another planet? If so, unless you both have good access to interplanetary travel, it's probably not the best idea. Sure, you'll date for a few days, then you'll go home and get sent to some other planet and never hear from her again.

-Live on a planet you are currently trapped on? Look, you can despair of going home all you want, but this will only end one of two ways: Your enemies find you and kill your love interest, or you live a long life only to have your friends show up and reverse your aging and whisk you back to your old life.  Doesn't matter how committed you are, you'll likely never return. And you definitely won't have kids.

-Live on the planet you are from? Yes, you won't be home all the time, but provided you don't mind long distance this can work. Most of the above scenarios could still apply, though.

-Belong to the other side? He may not just be the enemy, he may be the very creature you've dedicated you life to fighting.  There's a thin line between love and hate, but trust me on this, it's not going to end happily.  IF your true love joins your side, there's more than a good chance she'll die heroically saving you. Or you'll wind up as an awful teen romance franchise. It's a lose-lose.

-Work with you? I get it, small dating pool. You only see the same 6 people on a regular basis. But you know as well as I do that dating a co-worker is against the rules of your organization. And neither of you is looking to retire any time soon. If you wanted a less complicated relationship, you should've gotten a desk job.

-Come on to you immediately, at first introduction? New, sexy stranger going beyond typical dating etiquette while you're out on a mission? This person wants you dead.  That may not be the only element of his mysterious plan, but it's a major bullet point.

-Seem subtly different after a recent jaunt in another dimension?  It's not just you. Trust your instincts. And always keep team member info somewhere safe so you can compare notes, as it were.

-Have a mysterious, troubled past, much like you do? Backstory matter. Don't make commitments while still in the dark? She could be a sworn enemy, a relative, or, if you are lucky, a lost love. Knowledge is power.

-Not know you exist? Try a simple handshake before making any deals with the local witch.

-Make you wild, grandiose offers disproportionate to your expectations of dinner and a movie? Rule of thumb, anybody who likes you too much, too soon does not have your best interests at heart. And ruling the galaxy conflicts with the ethics contract you signed for you job.

-Only know you as your fake identity? Lying is no way to start a relationship. That said, you have like a 20-80 chance of success, which is higher than most of the other scenarios on this list.

-Require you to die, or otherwise fully transform, before you can be together? Both he and you need to love and respect you as you are.  But beyond that, you are going to trust that your personality (and your love) will survive a process that purports to change everything about you, provided you survive? There are easier ways to get a date.

-Have to defy her entire culture to be with you? And more importantly, does this culture have laser technology? DO NOT start an intergalactic war for someone you have known less than a week.

-Have feelings for your nemesis? Someone is going to get hurt, and it's probably going to be you.

-Belong to a team whose job is to protect the planet? You may be dating the hero. Let's take a moment to ponder your life expectancy.

-Appear to be the underdog, secretly aspiring to greatness? But he also loves you, his first and only love? Good news, you ARE the backstory. Bad news, you are about to be very dead.

-Hide things from you for your own protection? Your relationship is doomed, possibly ending in death.

-Have an unhealthy obsession with something? Be it revenge, justice, cats, or even you, focus on the word 'unhealthy.' And run the other way.

-Generally annoy everyone around you? Marry her. She will never die.

Most importantly, is he a handsome smuggler? He's a keeper.

Thanksgiving Tips

There have been innumerable statements published about the importance of the family dinner.  As we approach the one American holiday centered solely around a meal and one of the only true feast days left in our culture, here are a few ideas for making your Thanksgiving holiday delicious and memorable. As far as I'm concerned, the first three are year-round rules, the rest are tips.

1. Instead of pepper, use grains of paradise on any dish containing potatoes. It really highlights the earthy flavor. Buy grains of paradise from any spice shop, and grind in a clean (preferably spice dedicated) coffee grinder, or an empty reusable pepper grinder.

2. Marshmallows are not for dinner. Save them for dessert.  For sweet potatoes/yams, try roasting with butter, vanilla extract, and cardamom alongside acorn squash rings.  You'll still get some sweetness, without resorting to puffed sugar.

3. Brussels sprouts should not be steamed or boiled. EVER. The punishment for this sin is your children's lifelong aversion to this versatile veggie. Roast, sauté, or braise.  These methods will brown and bring out the non-bitter flavors you didn't know Brussels had. My favorite is braising: you get the high heat of sautéing plus extra tenderness and flavor by way of the braising liquid, which also become a light sauce.

4. Pre-plan how to use your leftovers as a part of your overall meal planning.  You won't have to think about it later, and you ensure no food goes to waste.

5. Experiment with new ingredients: put chestnuts in your stuffing, substitute parsnips for carrots for an earthier flavor, get a whole goose instead of a turkey breast.  Try out new side dishes like lentils or make mincemeat pie instead of pecan.  Traditions have to get made some time, so make your holiday unique. And if you've never contributed by making something then this year step up, buy some salad mix and make a vinaigrette from scratch.

6. Set goals with your family and friends: "This year let's make stuffing from scratch." or "Let's have every dish showcase a New World ingredient." or "No traditional T-Day dishes allowed."

7. Make your motto for Thanksgiving "The More the Merrier."  T-Day was just a present-less Christmas for me growing up, until my family started spending the holiday with friends of my aunt.  It's the perfect holiday to open your family circle and celebrate with friends, old and new.

8. If you want traditional ingredients without quite so many pies, roast pecans (or candy them), pumpkin, and sweet potatoes; and bake your apples. Sweet potatoes and apples sauté together nicely.

9. Consider serving your meal in courses, clearing the salad(s) before loading the table with the turkey, dressing, etc. in order to free up some space while passing dishes.

10. Screw popular health warnings. It's called stuffing for a reason. Just make sure everything gets completely cooked.

I already celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving this year. But I'm available in November if anybody in a 200 mile radius of Atlanta has an extra place at their table. Or, if you're willing to come to me, I'd cook for you. Provided you like Brussels sprouts and lentils. 

I Am More Than My Emoticon: Or Why I Hate Happiness

The other day, I wrote on Facebook:

"So incredibly tired of happiness being touted as the natural state in life, as fundamental to your spirituality, as being indiscernible from joy. What I find to be true, in almost every case, is that Happiness seems to come from focusing only on positive things, effectively denying, or at least ignoring, the bad in life. Unquestioning positivity whitewashes, refuses to acknowledge, and does NOT prepare you for terrible, difficult, grey, doubt-ridden situations. This form of happiness also denies empathy, feeling the pain of others, simply because THAT'S NOT HAPPY. Well, I am not a happy person. I worry that my friends will make good decisions. I wrestle with doubt. I sorrow with those experiencing loss. And, from time to time, I suffer. I acknowledge suffering as a fundamental human condition. Which requires hope and love to keep from becoming despair. I learn to cope; I learn joy. And while you tell me to smile more, I hope your Happiness can stand up to the pain of living. But if not, I'll be waiting with a shoulder you can cry on."

Since posting and reading the responses, I feel a need to unpack my position a bit more. Because of my belief in the perniciousness of Modern America's Portrayal of What Happiness Should Be™, I find I react very strongly to the suggestion that MAPWHSB™ is one of the most desirable states that you can strive for. Which is not to say I hate happiness. But the plastic, consumer-friendly version has got to go. And I think I make a decent, concise case for that in my FB post.

What I didn't go into then was the underlying problem, which is more about emoticons and ebooks than about a particular emotion or state of being. The problem is both one of attention span and language.

CHALLENGE: Find a single internet post by someone under forty (yes, I am including myself in this) that describes the poster's emotional state as something other than: Happy (MAPWHSB™), Sad, Angry, or Bored. (We're going to say that confusion is the 'sometimes Y' of emotions, as it is often an intellectual state.)

You may find what at first appear to be variations, but are really just a clever use of synonyms. For example: "Feeling blessed!!!!!!!!" is a religious way of saying "MAPWHSB™!!!!!!!!" Which is not to say that acknowledging blessings is any worse than being happy, but this statement is just a repackaging of the same idea. Upset is a synonym for Sad and/or Angry. And with very few exceptions, that is the sum total of society's ability to describe emotional states in depth.

In a society driven by our neuroses, where virtually everyone has been in therapy at least once, how have we lost our ability to name, and thus understand, our emotions? ill tell u. We live in a world of instant gratification. But that isn't the problem. Instant gratification is wanting to read Bram Stoker's Dracula and downloading it to your Hitchhiker's Guide without having to leave the couch. The problem is the rate at which we want to be gratified. Instant per Instant gratification if you will. Each moment must be something new and pleasing, and it isn't the fault of text messaging or the internet or television. It's our fault, the Matrix just makes it easier. Just like fast food makes it easier to get fat.

But impulse control simply blazes the trail to where the root of the problem lies: reducing everything to a sound bite. Because sound bites boil down:

"In sooth, I know not why I am so sad.
It wearies me, you say it wearies you,
But how I caught it, found it, or came by it,

What stuff 'tis made from, whereof it is born,
I am to learn;
And such a want-wit sadness makes of me
That I have much ado to know myself."
to:

:(

I don't think internet communication is destroying the English language; I think our lack of patience is. Because how can we know when we feel melancholic, serene, piteous, chagrinned, smug, impertinent, disgraced, bewildered, entranced, irked, sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic, enraptured, or even contented, if our working vocabulary only allows for four emotions? And if we aren't comfortable enough with the definitions to use such words in our spoken conversation, why would we choose a state of being more complex than MAPWHSB™on which to pin all our desire?

I have a melancholic temperament and I strive to be serene and content. I simply don't have the emotional energy for MAPWHSB™.

Lentil Cassoulet

Lentil Cassoulet adapted from Bon Appetit recipe.

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 med. onion, minced

2-3 parsnips, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, diced

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

3-5 large garlic cloves, minced

12 oz. sausage, sliced

3-4 oz. diced pancetta (or one package, more will make the recipe too salty)

2 cups French lentils (or one cup French lentils, one cup green/orange/brown)

2-3 cups chicken stock

1-2 bay leaves

sage (fresh or dried)

thyme (fresh or dried)

salt

pepper

2-4 cups bread crumbs (differs depending on the diameter of your dish)

½ stick melted butter

1 tbsp parsley (fresh is better here)

1 tbsp chives (fresh is better here)

[original recipe recommends serving with Dijon mustard and cronichons.]

Preheat oven to 375.

In skillet, if using 2 dishes, or in oven safe dish that holds 3 quarts cook pancetta until pieces are shriveled and dark colored (slightly over-cook them, they will get soggy otherwise). Transfer to plate.  Cook sausage until cooked thru.  Transfer to plate.  Heat oil in same dish.  Add onion, parsnip, celery, and cayenne. Season with salt and pepper.  Cook until vegetables are soft and onions are translucent.  Add garlic cloves and sage and thyme if fresh. Cook for one minute.  Turn off heat.  Add lentils and stir to coat with residual oil/fat. Add chicken stock to cover mixture (and sage and thyme, if not added earlier).  Turn up to boil.  Add sausage and pancetta. Stir.  Once boiling, move cassoulet to oven. Cover and bake for 45 min. or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Combine half the breadcrumbs with the melted butter; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle wet and dry breadcrumbs over cassoulet and bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are golden brown.  Sprinkle on chopped parsley and chives. Let rest 5-10 min. Serve.

Alt. serving style: before adding breadcrumbs, separate portions into individual ramikins and add breadcrumbs to each, plus any extra that remains in baking dish. Servings in ramikins should be checked more often to avoid burning.

Also, fairly certain this would adapt to vegetarian pretty easily.

Point of Clarification

In theatre history, in order to pinpoint where theatre begins we must first define it. In the so-called 'worship wars' many people are seeking to redefine church. Here are a few observations about what is theatre and what shouldn't be theatre.

Theatre is: scripted. So is church; so is the news. No real contention here. God created order out of chaos.

Theatre is: entertainment. 90% of theatre is funded by and created for the wealthy, aging, white population. People who can afford it and have free time. Despite its claim to loftier goals. The church should do better than that.

Theatre is: done before a largely passive and anonymous audience. Church should call for active participation and actively participate with its members.

Theatre is: performance. If you have met an actor you understand that on some level they all have a need for attention. The church should not have narcissistic disorder.

Theatre is: emotional manipulation. Every detail is planned in order to get the audience to feel the way the director intends. Color effects emotion. Music creates mood. The Holy Spirit does not need moving lights to help it along.

Theatre is: expensive. And requires professionals. With a professional business model. The money-lenders need to stay out of the temple.

Theatre is: spectacle. It is difficult to come humbly before God at a rock concert.

Theatre is: play. Like political cartoons, theatre makes light of serious matters to make a point. The church should make serious what has been taken lightly.

Theatre is: Art. I like art, but Church is worship.

Theatre is: work. This is my job, and I don't want my job taking over the more sacred part of my week. This is one professional's opinion meant to promote reflection. Entertainment does not promote worship. 

New Horizons: a Meditation

I used to complain to my parents that I hate travel. Which is kind of true. Usually we plan away an entire break, so I end up feeling like I need a vacation after my vacation. But there is something compelling about driving down new highways, seeing new horizons. Traveling with a sense of purpose but also having enough time to enjoy the scenery along the way. After a few months of not going anywhere, I hear the siren song of the road. As Toad of Toad Hall put it, "There's real life for you...The open road, the dusty highway, the heath, the common, the hedgerows, the rolling downs! Camps, villages, towns, cities! Here today, up and off tomorrow! Travel, change, interest, excitement! The whole world before you, and a horizon that's always changing!" Throwing out routine for new experiences and the unexpected. That is why I love to travel.

Spring takes me that way as well. The earth stirring and starting something new. Waking up to new possibilities. Like Mole, I feel the "spirit of divine discontent and longing." And I'm not alone. Wedding season starts in spring. Spring break appears to exist almost wholly for youth to travel. The school year is ending and graduates are leaving to start new lives elsewhere.

Graduation is another new horizon. A new journey beginning. New job, new place to live. Growing up I hated change, but now I see new beginnings as a chance to clean house and start over with something brighter and better. Without new experiences, how can we continue to learn? And if we do not learn, how can we hope to understand and faithfully interact with the world around us? If we have the opportunity to go to Timbuktu, should we not take it?

There is a lot of wisdom to be found in lectures of stability and responsibility.  But allowing fear of debt, insecurity, and failure to rob you of where you truly want to go is more foolish than wise. Who are you helping by letting life pass you by?

Where shall we go? "To wherever the wind may take us."

Travelogue: Milwaukee

This year's United States Institute of Technical Theatre conference was in Milwaukee.  I made the trip, marking my first time in Wisconsin, home of beer, cheese, and beer cheese soup.  My travel companions and I left Tuscaloosa at 5 am on Tuesday and drove to the Birmingham for a 7:30 flight.  We laid over in Baltimore (which somewhat oddly had NCIS merchandise), then landed in Chicago Midway.  I had previously only flown into O'Hare.  Midway is superior in my book, if only for the topographical sculpture of Lake Michigan hanging from the ceiling.

We then boarded the CTA bound for Quincy.  Between the Baltimore/Chicago flight and the CTA, my friend Ashley and I were both a pretty shade of green from motion sickness.  The pilot couldn't help it, but I recommend dramamine for any CTA travel.  From the Quincy stop we walked to Union Station, which is awesome and Art Deco, and I wish we had had more time to look around and take pictures.

The train from Chicago to Milwaukee is named the Hiawatha and was the most pleasant time I have had traveling ever.  We sat in the quiet car—travel's greatest invention—and the ride was so smooth I was able to read the entire time, something I have never been able to do in any vehicle.  Doubly remarkable after having motion sickness the same day.

It had been 32° in Chicago, so I knew I was in for cold, but I still felt that 13° in the middle of March was excessive.  Due to the cold, my exploration of Milwaukee was limited, but I thoroughly enjoyed what I saw.  The Art Deco buildings, especially the Hilton were enchanting, and the general mishmash of styles throughout downtown felt whimsical.  My advice to anyone going in the cold months: try to find a map that includes the skywalks.

I had a chance to eat German sausage at the HB Old German Beer Hall, which was fantastic.  So was the shepherd's pie at Mo's Irish Pub and the braised short ribs at Cafe Hollander.  If I had stayed longer I would have compared the fish fry at multiple restaurants, as it is a specialty in the largely Catholic town, especially during Lent.

But the best dining experience had nothing to do with the food.  The Safe House is a CIA style speakeasy that has been featured on TV and in newspapers as a must do.  You have to know how to find it (or look up the address).  There is a secret password and a slew of discoveries to make once you're inside. Every wall has something interesting.  There are specialty drinks, creatively named menu items, and deliciously fun desserts, such as an ice-cream  bomb lit with a trick candle. One of the few dining experiences where food quality was largely unimportant to the overall experience.

The trip back included the same Amtrak train, CTA, and Midway experiences (except with popcorn!) but we laid over in St. Louis where we picked up several colleagues that had flown directly from Milwaukee, never to know the joy of riding the Hiawatha.

I must plan to go back to Milwaukee when I can really enjoy the city (i.e. when it's warm). But for now it is still one of my top ten cities in the US.